State of Fast Pass Return (or replacement)

[Marrila]

I think that means DLP, WDW and whatever abbreviations for CA

DLP, DLR (Cali)
and WDW.

 

[Spaceguy55]

Troll-A troll is Internet slang for a person who intentionally tries to instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments in an online social community. Platforms targeted by trolls can include the comment sections of YouTube, forums, or chat rooms...maybe here.

 

[mshanson3121]

Why is there a need for fastpass? That would just make the standby lines longer.


The only thing there is a need for is opening more experiences which is why the lines are the way they are. Disney got greedy (shocker) and raised capacity before they could handle it.

OMG. It doesn't make standby lines longer by much at all, if at all. Lines are longer in the past few years because of crowds and staffing cutbacks, not FP+. The posted wait time for July 10, 2019 at 10:00 am was 100 minutes. So... EXACT SAME.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

OMG. It doesn't make standby lines longer by much at all, if at all. Lines are longer in the past few years because of crowds and staffing cutbacks, not FP+. The posted wait time for July 10, 2019 at 10:00 am was 100 minutes. So... EXACT SAME.

Get out with that rational thinking!

 

[mshanson3121]

Get out with that rational thinking!
View attachment 588310

I'm sorry. I forgot 2020/2021 are NOT the years for rational thinking!

 

[Weedy]

OMG. It doesn't make standby lines longer by much at all, if at all. Lines are longer in the past few years because of crowds and staffing cutbacks, not FP+. The posted wait time for July 10, 2019 at 10:00 am was 100 minutes. So... EXACT SAME.

No not at all (sarcasm) Your in the standby line and suddenly the standby line stops to let 75 people from the Fastpass line board in front of you

 

[Wandering Oaken]

No not at all (sarcasm) Your in the standby line and suddenly the standby line stops to let 75 people from the Fastpass line board in front of you

When? When have you ever been in a stand-by line and witnessed 75 people go past you??

 

[dez1978]

Great, so I want to pay $150 a ticket with my head buried in a screen all day? Ill pass.

Open up restaurants, shows, meet and greets and everything else and the wait times will drop.

Lower capacity and the wait times will drop.

Fastpass crams more people through that line than would be in the standby line otherwise, hence yes lines would be longer.

having to keep looking at my phone irritated me. Really that’s my biggest irritation with it

You set your fast passes up way before your trip. Why is your head buried in a screen? If you have your face buried in a screen even after you set up fast passes then that is your fault. Don't blame people that prefer fastpasses. I utilized fastpass like a surgeon and I never had my face buried in a screen all day. I barely even looked at my phone.

And your logic for fastpass making the lines longer is extremely flawed.

If you can only set up 3 fp before your trip, how else are you getting any more without looking at your phone? You can’t say “you set them up before your trip, why are you looking at your phone” and say “you can make more fp all day! You can get them all day after your initial 3” they can’t both be true. No I didn’t have my fave buried in my phone “all day” trying to get more fp. But certainly more than I’d like to when I’m trying to watch my kids enjoy the experience. Especially when I’m trying to tell them they don’t need to have a screen in their face all the time lol

 

[Wandering Oaken]

If you can only set up 3 fp before your trip, how else are you getting any more without looking at your phone? You can’t say “you set them up before your trip, why are you looking at your phone” and say “you can make more fp all day! You can get them all day after your initial 3” they can’t both be true. No I didn’t have my fave buried in my phone “all day” trying to get more fp. But certainly more than I’d like to when I’m trying to watch my kids enjoy the experience. Especially when I’m trying to tell them they don’t need to have a screen in their face all the time lol

When have I ever said "you can make more fast passes all day! You can get them all day after your initial 3."?? Never. As a matter of fact, I have been plainly and explicitly clear on how I operated fast passes before. We got to the parks at rope drop, walked onto two or three headliners before the crowds built, went to lunch, road three more headliners on our fast passes, then meandered around the park the rest of the day until we decided to leave as we rode other attractions here and there. I have never waited for an attraction more than 30 minutes and I don't spend the rest of the day on my phone searching for more fast passes. I tried it a couple of times on a couple of separate trips and couldn't find anything right away so I just stopped. I don't feel like having my face buried in my phone. If you're going to quote me on something then please make sure I actually said it.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

My 2 cents. If this rumor is accurate, this sounds a long way off. These types of decisions have to be coded, tested, etc.

My assumption is either;

A) This is a dated rumor and some of the questions have already been answered.
B) They are not close and they should put Fastpass back as a stopgap.
C) This is just not accurate.

Totally agree with your assessment and I would lean towards option C And we’ve heard that execs are concerned about some of the guest complaints re: lack of updates on FastPass, long waits, so B seems as viable a possibility as an announcement of a new system in my books.

The majority of the rumours that have been flying around here favour a hybrid of complimentary and paid, with paid being more the form of an upgrade. “Used up your 3 passes for today? You can get 3 more for $30” etc.

I also feel that if they were going for a tiered system of this nature (Classic, Headliner, Super Headliner) that it would have been included in the DLP announcement about Disney Premier Access.

Sure, it might have been a consideration in early planning for a FastPass replacement. But based on what we’ve heard about technology testing - an overly complex system wouldn’t integrate well with all the other systems.

EDITED TO ADD: Shanghai does have some kind of tiered definitions of attractions. You can buy Classic Set A, Classic Set B etc. But they haven’t priced the passes differently. So a Classic and headliner cost the exact same. Which also makes me question different costs for different levels at WDW or DLR etc…

 

[GoingSince1990]

I don’t know if Disney executives ever read these forums to get a sense of popular opinion, but if they do, they should realize that by far the most broadly popular course of action would be to bring back FP+ just as it was. In fact, given all of the rumors about them slapping on charges, bringing it back as it was before would result in quite a few positive headlines about their generosity.

 

[DL1WDW2]

If you're tired of the opinion, imagine how tired some of us are of it being true. I have not always felt this way. There's a whole group of people on these boards who loved to called me a Disney apologist, claimed I was blinded by pixie dust. But even the most faithful eventually get tired of the crap.

And they do owe us something. They are a business that has promoted and played on their reputation of customer service and excellence that is heads above any other competitor. We give them our money, they owe us what they advertise.

Look at them now- They had over a year to get their plans in place, to be ready for a re-opening and they can't even get a ride system in place. Their rides are constantly breaking down, their premier resorts have bags of garbage laying in the hallways because they can't even get the freaking trash taken out. Read that again- they are not capable of emptying trash cans on a regular basis. And where we're staying and paying over $450 a night? This is what it looks like. My local trailer park looks nicer.
View attachment 587933
So if you think you're tired, you have no idea what tired is.....

What location is this? Looks scary…

 

[DL1WDW2]

I have just tried to read all the comments and feel there is no solution.

1. We all have had to endure these unprecedented times and it seems like Disney is the current family vacation destination.
2. Cutbacks include staffing and amenities and park hours and transportation. Prices and heat temperatures increase along with frustration for everybody.
I fail to understand how the return of FP or FP+ or paid FP is going to solve anything. Basically the attractions can not be operated with any reliability. How insane are the online comments going to be when we are still dealing with the same basic problems . I don’t want to pay for another new idea that is probably going to make me still a dissatisfied guest. I kinda think the best temporary solution would be the original ticket booklet idea that Walt designed. So it basically included your admission and a limited selection of a basic menu to choose from. It does not disguise or deceive It is a simple format that “informs” the guest of what to expect. It would be simple to create this online Admission Packet .This omits the problem of guests expecting a comp FP if they go to guest services… they purchased a basic average day and still have this in hand to make choices.
This hopefully could calm everybody down until Disney recuperates . It is unfortunate construction has delayed the plans for the upcoming Anniversary. The monorail and the water transport and the parking lot trams need to be brought back as quickly and safely possible.
I just hope Disney values their castmembers and their guests equally.
WDW is a beautiful place to visit . Please try to find pleasure even when you are on the bus…It is air conditioned at least . Just slow down and calm down . We really need to re-discover Disney.
Don’t give up and say that this is your last visit. Our children deserve to have a chance to believe .

 

[Buddy40]

Here's an interesting article from the Motley Fool taking the position that Disney won't implement a paid fastpass+ system this year. Maybe there is hope after all.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/07/09/3-reasons-disney-world-will-not-start-charging-for/

 

[cakebaker]

@DL1WDW2
It’s the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, $450 a night. Nice, right?

 

[disparksfan]

Totally agree with your assessment and I would lean towards option C And we’ve heard that execs are concerned about some of the guest complaints re: lack of updates on FastPass, long waits, so B seems as viable a possibility as an announcement of a new system in my books.

The majority of the rumours that have been flying around here favour a hybrid of complimentary and paid, with paid being more the form of an upgrade. “Used up your 3 passes for today? You can get 3 more for $30” etc.

I also feel that if they were going for a tiered system of this nature (Classic, Headliner, Super Headliner) that it would have been included in the DLP announcement about Disney Premier Access.

Sure, it might have been a consideration in early planning for a FastPass replacement. But based on what we’ve heard about technology testing - an overly complex system wouldn’t integrate well with all the other systems.

EDITED TO ADD: Shanghai does have some kind of tiered definitions of attractions. You can buy Classic Set A, Classic Set B etc. But they haven’t priced the passes differently. So a Classic and headliner cost the exact same. Which also makes me question different costs for different levels at WDW or DLR etc…

DLP used to have a paid FP system that was divided by ride type. Super FP got you either family attractions (3 rides) or thrill attractions (3 rides) and was priced the same, Ultimate FP cost more and got both super packs plus the headliners (9 rides total). All three packs were one ride each, there was also the Ultimate Unlimited pass for multiple rides on all FP attractions.

They switched to per ride pricing with this new Premier Access pass probably because not enough people were buying these packs. I only ever FPed BTM (classed as a headliner) and I'm not paying for an Ultimate FP ($70 minimum, seasonal pricing) for one ride. Where I might buy a one ride pass at $10 for it.

I agree though that WDW is complex enough without introducing multiple ride tiers back in to a paid system.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I have just tried to read all the comments and feel there is no solution.

1. We all have had to endure these unprecedented times and it seems like Disney is the current family vacation destination.
2. Cutbacks include staffing and amenities and park hours and transportation. Prices and heat temperatures increase along with frustration for everybody.
I fail to understand how the return of FP or FP+ or paid FP is going to solve anything. Basically the attractions can not be operated with any reliability. How insane are the online comments going to be when we are still dealing with the same basic problems . I don’t want to pay for another new idea that is probably going to make me still a dissatisfied guest. I kinda think the best temporary solution would be the original ticket booklet idea that Walt designed. So it basically included your admission and a limited selection of a basic menu to choose from. It does not disguise or deceive It is a simple format that “informs” the guest of what to expect. It would be simple to create this online Admission Packet .This omits the problem of guests expecting a comp FP if they go to guest services… they purchased a basic average day and still have this in hand to make choices.
This hopefully could calm everybody down until Disney recuperates . It is unfortunate construction has delayed the plans for the upcoming Anniversary. The monorail and the water transport and the parking lot trams need to be brought back as quickly and safely possible.
I just hope Disney values their castmembers and their guests equally.
WDW is a beautiful place to visit . Please try to find pleasure even when you are on the bus…It is air conditioned at least . Just slow down and calm down . We really need to re-discover Disney.
Don’t give up and say that this is your last visit. Our children deserve to have a chance to believe .

I think you hit the nail on the head. The situation at the parks right now is a staffing issue that won't be resolved by FP+, or any form of FP. I've tried to keep abreast of this thread too, have formed my own opinions about paid FP, but ultimately no system will improve guest flow until the parks are adequately staffed. Cast members always have been and always will be the make or break of a magical vacation. Capacity never should have been increased.

 

[Lewisc]

A simple solution. You hand a ten dollar bill to the CM at the FP entrance. A temporary solution until IT gets it right.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Regarding the (never ending) debate over whether FP makes the stand-by line longer...
Does anyone know if the FP reservations are calculated into the stand-by wait times? I would think that they would be. Since the FPs are booked digitally, Disney would know how many people to expect in a given one hour window. For example, if you walk up to an attraction with a 30 minute wait, that 30 minutes should take into account that some people are also in line (virtually) via FP. Your 30 minute wait is not affected by FP people. They are not cutting in front of you. They are already (virtually) in front of you...IF stand-by wait time takes FP into account.

 

[New Mouse]

Regarding the (never ending) debate over whether FP makes the stand-by line longer...
Does anyone know if the FP reservations are calculated into the stand-by wait times? I would think that they would be. Since the FPs are booked digitally, Disney would know how many people to expect in a given one hour window. For example, if you walk up to an attraction with a 30 minute wait, that 30 minutes should take into account that some people are also in line (virtually) via FP. Your 30 minute wait is not affected by FP people. They are not cutting in front of you. They are already (virtually) in front of you...IF stand-by wait time takes FP into account.

Yes, but at the same time the fastpass line is an inexact science with people deciding the ratio to use for fp to standby guests, which can vary by a lot.

If anything, the addition of the fastpass line tends to make the standby wait time less accurate, often in the wrong direction.